The "Middle East and Terrorism" Blog was created in order to supply information about the implication of Arab countries and Iran in terrorism all over the world. Most of the articles in the blog are the result of objective scientific research or articles written by senior journalists.

From the Ethics of the Fathers: "He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it."

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Thursday, August 4, 2016

"Justice" in Pakistan: Asia Bibi - Lubna Thomas Benjamin

by Lubna Thomas Benjamin

According to a recent report, "Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan"
published by the Center for Research and Security Studies, 247 blasphemy
cases were registered between 1987 and 2012; 52 of the people involved
were killed extrajudicially.

"I believe in Jesus Christ
who died on the cross for the sins of mankind. What did your Prophet
Mohammed ever do to save mankind?" — Asia Bibi, the words for which she
is on death row, for "blasphemy."

Mobs attacking blasphemy victims in Pakistan know that nothing will happen to them.

According to a recent report, "Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan"
published by the Center for Research and Security Studies, 247 blasphemy
cases were registered between 1987 and 2012; 52 of the people involved
were killed extrajudicially.

The history of Pakistan is filled with hatred and intolerance
toward the people who raise their voices against the blasphemy laws:
Salman Taseer, the former governor of Punjab Province, and Shahbaz
Bhatti, the federal Minister of Minority Affairs, were murdered for
supporting Asia Bibi and protesting the blasphemy laws.

For the first time since her arrest in 2009, Asia Bibi saw a sign of hope on July 22, when the Supreme Court of Pakistan gave her permission
to appeal the death sentence she was served twice: first by the High
Court in 2010 and again in 2014. She is, however, still waiting for
justice.

Asia Bibi, 50, and a mother of five, was accused of blasphemy in June
2009 by her coworkers in a dispute over bowl of water. They told her
that, as she is a Christian, she could not drink water from the same
bowl as they were. The argument that ensued led to an angry mob
assaulting her, and her arrest on the charge of "blasphemy" -- that she
allegedly had uttered derogatory remarks about the Islamic Prophet
Mohammad.

Bibi became the first woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy in
Pakistan. Since her arrest, her family has also faced threats which
have forced them to move to an undisclosed location.

Bibi was charged with violating section 295-C of Pakistan's Penal Code, which states:

"Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by
visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation,
directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for
life, and shall also be liable to a fine."

The words that Asia Bibi said to her coworkers, in response to their
remarks against her, were: "I believe in Jesus Christ who died on the
cross for the sins of mankind. What did your Prophet Mohammed ever do to
save mankind?"

It was the last sentence that apparently incited the mob before the
police arrested her. Mobs attacking blasphemy victims in Pakistan know
that nothing will happen to them. The situation is common -- the
incidents of Shanti Nagar, Gujran and Badami Bagh involved large-scale mob violence against the Christians and their communities in Pakistan.

Asia Bibi and two of her five children, pictured prior to her imprisonment on death row in 2010 for "blasphemy."

Blasphemy cases against Christians in Pakistan increased when the
late military dictator, General Zia Ulf Haq, harshened the blasphemy
laws during his rule (1978 -1988). Since then, the blasphemy laws have
daily threatened the Christians of Pakistan.

According to a recent report, "Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan"
published by the Center for Research and Security Studies, 247
blasphemy cases were registered between 1987 and 2012; 52 of the people
involved were killed extrajudicially.

The report also compared the severity of the blasphemy laws in
Pakistan to those in other Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Iran and
Malaysia. The report found that the blasphemy laws are far more moderate
in those three countries than in Pakistan.

Although the Supreme Court's move to suspend Bibi's death sentence
has brought hope, the common fate of so-called blasphemers in Pakistan
is often death anyhow -- by mob violence. Asia Bibi, even if she is
acquitted, will not necessarily be safe.

In the case of another Christian girl, Rimsha Masih,
14, also charged with blasphemy, the evidence was doctored by a
religious cleric, Khalid Chishti, who was arrested but later released:
the witnesses refused to testify against him. The case highlighted the
weakness of the judicial system, which, succumbing only to public
pressure, put behind bars even a minor. Based on the doctored evidence,
the court later acquitted Masih.

In Bibi's case, her lawyer has proven that the evidence against her
was manipulated by way of the delayed registration of the "first
information report." The other weakness in the case is the witness: the
main accuser against her is an Islamic imam who was not even present at
the incident.

The trial of Asia Bibi, the longest blasphemy case in Pakistan,
spotlights the urgent need for international leadership, and superhuman
national leadership within Pakistan, which would call for the review of
the blasphemy laws.

The history of Pakistan is filled with hatred and intolerance toward
the people who raise their voices against the blasphemy laws: Salman Taseer, the former governor of Punjab Province, and Shahbaz Bhatti, the federal Minister of Minority Affairs, were murdered for supporting Asia Bibi and protesting the blasphemy laws.

The blasphemy laws need to be reviewed and debated at the national level, instead of being exported to the free world,
as Pakistan -- with the help of the UN Human Rights Council's
Resolution 16/18 and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Istanbul
Process -- were trying to do.

The international community, the so-called human rights groups and
the somnolent media urgently need to protect Christians and others
against these blasphemy laws so that this sort of "justice" can be
stopped.

Lubna Thomas Benjamin, recipient of the Hubert H.
Humphrey Fellowship for the year 2011-12, was a television producer in
Pakistan and has worked at CNN Atlanta. She is currently a freelance
writer in the United States.Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8603/pakistan-asia-bibi Follow Middle East and Terrorism on TwitterCopyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the aut